Coke forced to do corrective ads in Australia

April 2, 2009 – 7:42 pm – No Comment

Coca Cola recently released some ads in Australia that “dispeled” some myths. (I did some YouTube sleuthing and couldn’t find the commercial, so if you can post the link in the comments)

The ad said that Coke doesn’t make you fat or rot your teeth and that one myth said that Coke is full of caffeine…haha. Well, now the company is going to have to run a few corrective ads to say that all calories count and Coke is ok in moderation.

Not only will the company have to run the corrective ads, it will also post caffeine amounts on its website.

The ACCC [Australian Competition & Consumer Commission] said it has worked with Coca-Cola’s unit in Australia to issue new advertisements under a court-enforceable action. The ads, called “Setting The Record Straight,” will run Saturday in major Australian newspapers such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Courier Mail and The Australian. The company will also publish the same corrective advertisement on its Web site and include the correct levels of caffeine for drinks like Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero on the site.

“Coke’s messages were totally unacceptable, creating an impression which is likely to mislead that Coca-Cola cannot contribute to weight gain, obesity and tooth decay,” the ACCC said in a statement.